Are cigarettes vegan and do vegans smoke?

Wondering if cigarettes are vegan and if vegans smoke? Then you are exactly right here! Vegans tend to live a little more environmentally and health-conscious. And I also always advise for health, ecological and not least also for financial reasons, to stop smoking. But of course that doesn't stop many vegans from continuing to light up a cigarette regularly. With the choice of the cigarettes they must look then however somewhat more exactly.

In this short article, I'm going to show you why not all cigarettes are vegan and which brands are actually suitable for the animal-friendly lifestyle. Let's go!

Why cigarettes are not always vegan

Even though tobacco is a product that obtained from the cured leaves of the tobacco plant and the paper is mostly made from vegetable pulps such as wood, hemp or flax rice, very few cigarette brands are suitable for vegans. Here are the four main reasons why:

Hemoglobin

Occasionally, hemoglobin is used in the manufacture of cigarette filters. Hemoglobin is a blood pigment found in the red blood cells of vertebrates and is generally Obtained from pig blood is used. The substance is supposed to filter pollutants from the smoke of the cigarette - but ensures that the corresponding cigarettes are strictly speaking neither vegan nor even vegetarian.

Shellac

Shellac is occasionally found as an adhesive in cigarettes. The substance is made from rubber varnish, which is from the excretions of the paint scale insect Kerria lacca is obtained after sucking on certain plant species.

Animal testing

Animal testing is in the tobacco industry nowadays unfortunately still commonplace. In cruel processes, such as monkeys, dogs, rats, hamsters, mice and many other laboratory animals are used for this purpose. forced to inhale cigarette smoke for several hours at a time, or weeks, month and even yearsalthough they actually try to avoid it.

Cigarette butt

Many smokers have the habit of Butt after smoking into the environment to throw. But Toxins such as nicotine or arsenic can be eaten by animals. One cigarette alone can also contaminate several liters of water.₁ All the more reason for vegans to give up smoking or at least have a mobile ashtray to use.

Treatment of secondary diseases

Cigarette smoking causes serious diseases, such as cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the treatments for which often involve Medication for which animal testing is carried out.

Tip: The end of the cruelty to animals for cigarettes is just one of many Benefits of quitting smoking! In the linked post you will learn what else should motivate you!

So vegans don't smoke?

Yes, they do, but probably only a small proportion of them. For one thing, the tobacco industry has so far launched only a few animal-free cigarette brands on the market, and for another, vegans generally tend to live in a more environmentally and health-conscious way, even though Vegans in and of themselves of course not better people are! Who would like to smoke thus with a vegan way of life further, lights itself in the future simply a vegan cigarette.

Which cigarette brands are vegan?

Of course, I would like you to stop smoking. But if you currently "really can't" get rid of cigarettes, you should of course at least smoke vegan cigarettes.

Here I would like to give you a small list of appropriate brands where you can be relatively sure that their cigarettes are without animal ingredients and also without Animal testing get by:

• West
• Davidoff
• Gauloises
• Manila
• Brookfield
• Black Hawk
• Dockers
• JBR
• Red Bull
• Denim
• Allure
• Route 66
• Turner
• …

These brands are currently not vegan!

To be on the safe side, I would also like to give you some cigarette brands that are currently not suitable for vegans are:

• Samson
• Lucky Strike
• Westpoint
• Winchester
• Camel
• Chesterfield
• Optima
• Boston
• Kent
• Memphis
• Dunhill
• Pall Mall
• …

Unfortunately, the non-vegan brands are currently still clearly in the majority. That's why it's good that you, as a "smoking vegan", once again hedge your bets in this article. 🙂

Vegans are also allowed to smoke certain cigarettes if they want to

Just because some cigarettes are vegan doesn't make them healthier! So it's best to do without them in order to protect your health and the lives of animals. Whether you smoke or not, I just wanted you to know when cigarettes are vegan and when they are not.

I hope I was able to help you! Do you have any questions or suggestions about this post on vegan cigarette consumption? Then feel free to leave me a comment below this post.

Stay healthy and animal friendly,

PS.: Next, feel free to read my Tips for a healthy lifestyle through! Have fun!

References:
₁ Alexander Stahr: Do cigarette butts contaminate the water?, available at https://www.wissen.de/raetsel/verseuchen-zigarettenkippen-das-wasser. [12.07.2021].